You're Beautiful
by sassyassmutha
Summary: In the midst of a broken heart and suffocating careers, two women unexpectedly meet. Thus started the process of Kohinata An falling in love, perhaps for the first time. An/Aikawa.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: A yuri pairing in a yaoi series?! I know it's strange, but for some reason…I just ship it super hard. Let me know how I did, this is my first fic! Also, I recommend reading **_**The Case of Onodera Ritsu**_** Vol 12 before reading this. POVs change throughout the chapters, and will be labeled in bold. Enjoy!**

_I don't think I'd ever seen hair shine so blazingly before. The snowy sheets could not contain the auburn locks that were spread out on the mattress. Her chocolate irises were clouded over with pure lust, an emotion I'd never seen directed at me. My face softened, I wanted to cry so much. I loved this woman, I loved her so much my heart was burning. Her eyes squinted, wordlessly questioning my sudden lapse. I smiled even bigger than I thought possible. _

_**K**_**ohinata An, One Month Earlier**

"Mr. Next Door Neighbor! If you make Ricchan cry, I'll never forgive you! Ricchan, do your best!" I screamed, turning away quickly to run as fast as I could. I wouldn't let the tears fall in front of Ricchan, they would only make him chase after me. I heard him call me, but I ignored it, I didn't want to talk to him. That was the last thing either of us needed, it would only cause relationship problems for him, and only more heartbreak for me. I couldn't shake the hope that he would realize his true feelings for me, that he would love me the way I loved him. The tears were threatening to fall at that point, I buried my face in my hands as I ran. I only ran faster, more hazard like, not seeing where I was going. My legs ached, but I couldn't stop. I had to get away from him, far away.

_Snap._

My eyes widened, my balance being completely thrown off. I tumbled to the frigid concrete, bumping the side of my head slightly as my knee scraped the pavement. I lay there for several minutes, my labored breathing the only sound on the deserted street. Trying to demonstrate some of the strength I had left, I turned my head to look behind me. My heel had caved from the pressure of my harsh run, snapping completely off and sliding a few feet away. I could see the faint stain of blood seeping through my nylons from my knee. I lifted my hand gingerly to the side of my forehead, pressing down slightly. My face fell even more, there would surely be a bruise there within the next few hours. I let my hand fall back to the cement, gradually sitting up, wincing when I felt a sharp pain in my knee. I sat there shaking, the memories from the entire day replaying in broken fragments. Then, I finally fell apart.

_Why? Why? Why?_

My tears poured down my cheeks, refusing to relent. I began to choke and sob violently, barely managing to get in good gulps of air in between. I shivered from the ground's chilling surface, but had no energy to get up. The blush on my cheeks was surely ruined, but there was no longer a point. I tried telling myself that this was completely inappropriate to be doing in public, but there was no one even remotely nearby in the isolated neighborhood. My hands clutched my chest, trying to suppress my pathetic anguish. I forced myself up, shaking off the pain from my leg and my throbbing head. I stumbled awkwardly, not even bothering to recover my heel, towards the late night convenience store with its flashing lights. I wiped away my tears frantically, trying to look somewhat presentable. I reached into my bag before realizing that I had left my makeup bag at home in my rush to get to the hospital.

I walked through the automatic doors, turning my head to the cashier so he wouldn't see my puffy face. There was no one inside that I could see besides myself, my footsteps echoed against the speckled tile, consuming the whole store. I made my way to the aisle where wipes and cheap to-go mascara was kept, only to find another woman in front of the display. Well, the shadow of a woman. She looked like she hadn't slept in days, her business skirt and collared top severely wrinkled beyond fixing. She had gorgeous fiery hair, but it was deflated, sitting sadly below her shoulders. She was holding her designer heels in her right hand, apparently sick of wearing them. Her feet were red, most likely from wearing the heels for a while. She was wearing expensive jewelry, it glittered under the store's artificial lights, catching my eye for a moment. I finally looked to her face, gasping in surprise and maybe a little jealously. She was lovely, even with her features set in an annoyed glare as she thumbed through the different mascaras. Her dark, teal eyes stood out calmly against her blemish free skin, her lips a bright pink with slightly smudged lipstick. She pouted, jutting her bottom lip outward, dissatisfied with the limited selection. However, her eyes widened a few seconds later, spotting a promising packet. In trying to reach for it in the very back of the row, five or six fell from the rails, plunging with an obnoxious crash to the floor. She cursed to herself before bending to pick them up. In the process, she finally noticed my presence. Blushing profusely, she slipped her heels back on and did her best to straighten out her clothes, to no avail. She fiddled with her locks, trying to return some level of volume to them. I giggled softly, which caused her to look even more ashamed. I limped over, bending slowly to help her pick up the packets, a silence falling between us. When we stood again, she calmly reached to the back of the row again, and plucked the mascara off the railing. I giggled again.

"Now was that so hard?" I said, containing my amusement to my best ability. She laughed, smacking her hand against her head.

"Ahh, I'm such an airhead sometimes. Can't blame me though, life's tough huh?" She smiled, her eyes starting to sparkle under the lights.

"No kidding, it's been a long day," I said with a sigh, recalling the reason I was in this predicament in the first place. Her eyes were soft as they observed me, not saying anything for several moments. It was at this time that I realized how I looked. I blushed down to my toes, wiping the tear stains harshly and hiding my broken shoe. Her face set into a frown, her eyes staring directly into mine. I turned my head from side to side trying to focus on something else other than her piercing gaze. I felt so ashamed, I was supposed to be strong and move on. But, the pain in my heart would only grow by the minute, suffocating me. I waited for her dismissive words, but the silence continued. I shook, glaring harshly at the floor. I didn't care anymore.

"What? What is it?" I said tiredly, closing my eyes and waiting.

However, all I felt was my arm being grabbed, and being dragged towards the exit.


	2. Chapter 2

The brief walk to the red head's destination was silent. I listened to the wind accompanied by the clicking of the taller's heels. I tried best not to think and just occupy myself with nature, willing myself not to cry. Every thought I had would eventually drift to Ricchan, it was inevitable. I had been staring at the woman's back for ten minutes then, counting all the spiky curls that I itched to brush down. They bounced freely, like the hair seen on models for fancy shampoos. I smiled lightly, thinking how ridiculous it was to be jealous over hair. In that moment, her head swiveled back to glance at me, and I turned away while wiping off the smile. Her eyes held just a hint of amusement before facing the road once more.

We eventually came to an apartment complex. I could tell by the building that the units were on the more luxurious side, but were still small and only made for two to three people. The woman led me into the elevator, still tightly grasping my hand as if I would try to leave. The thought had crossed my mind, after all, she was a complete stranger. I blamed most of it on my weak emotional state and therefore lack of common sense. However, the woman gave off a strong stench of capability and trustworthiness that I could not help but inhale. She had pushed the button labeled the highest floor, and as we ascended, the peaceful silence began to feel heavy. I resorted to staring at my feet, wondering how I was going to get out of the situation. After all, I had a lot to do. I sighed audibly, knowing that one of those things would be to call my mother and relay to her what had occurred. Then of course that word would get to Ricchan's mother, which would surely cause problems for him. I was already wearing a guilty expression, but what else was I to do? My mother was my only outlet for these kinds of things. All through high school, I was much more concerned with spending time with Ricchan than making friends. It was probably the reason I had so few. I mentally berated myself, at that rate I had a lonely life ahead of me.

I felt a strange tingle travel up my spine, and when I turned, she was staring at me unabashedly. I held her gaze, unable to back down from the teal irises. I heard the background sound of the elevator doors opening, a harsh bell piercing the night to let us know we had arrived to the correct floor. We stayed rooted in our staring contest for another minute or so before she nodded to herself resolutely, dragging me out of the elevator. We reached a door towards the end of the hall and she finally released my wrist. She began to fumble around in her purse, looking for her keys as she cursed silently. After listening for the jingle, she located them at the bottom of her large bag. I peeked in, curiosity getting the better of me. I mean, why would someone need such a large tote for? Bricks? Running my eyes over the contents, I help in a confused squeak. There were huge stacks of paper wrapped together in her purse, so bricks hadn't been too far off of a guess apparently. As she pushed open the door, I realized that they were manuscripts. As I took off my shoes and placed them at the door, I started to theorize. A writer maybe? I stored the question in the back of my brain as I was led into the television area that connected to the kitchen. The furnishings were posh and comfortable looking, the floors hardwood. I fidgeted, feeling out of place with my torn tights and frizzy hair. The woman unceremoniously dumped her belongings on the couch, not even caring that they slid off mere seconds later.

"Sit here please," she instructed, pointing to a plush rug nearby. Snapping out of my stupor, I nodded and slowly lowered myself to the floor. Sitting on such a soft surface instantly made me feel much better, although I couldn't ignore the pain still fresh in my knee. The red head smiled before marching down the hall, kicking off her heels as she went with obnoxious clacking. She knew that those were supposed to be left at the door right? I groaned internally. The whole predicament felt strange and out of a novel. I wanted to leave and go home, but something held me down on that rug. I knew I was in no condition to travel home, but I could pay for a cab or call a family member if I wanted to. Maybe in the end I was just too taken aback by the woman's aura and hospitality to refuse her. I pondered the thought for several more minutes, oblivious to the soft padding of feet approaching. When she was directly in front of me, I glanced up startled. She was holding a first aid kit as she plopped down across from me. I flinched when she tugged at my coat and nylons.

"I'm really sorry, but I need these off to properly examine your injuries," she smiled brightly, tugging a little harder at my clothing.

"O-oh, oh right," I stuttered out. I pushed my nylons down, thankful that I was wearing a dress that covered my underwear. Regardless, I still blushed like mad. The older was really brave to insist something so bold before they even knew each other's names. I stripped off my coat, revealing my absolute favorite turtle neck dress. I held in a sigh, the only reason I had worn the dress was to show it off to Ricchan. I felt a little bad considering his mom had been in the hospital, but a girl had to try when she got the chance. Plus, the dress made her feel amazing, and what was wrong with that? I smiled a little as I folded my coat. I glanced over to see the red head click open the kit, pulling out disinfectant and a cloth. She poured some of the liquid onto the towel before gently grabbing my leg. I winced as she began to dab the bleeding area lightly as she muttered her apologies for the sting. As she cleaned the area, no words passed between us. The older was focused intently on her job, and I couldn't help but stare at her face which was set it a determined frown. It was then that I finally located my voice again.

"Thank you so much for all of this, you didn't need to do it," I smiled. Her face brightened upon hearing my gratitude.

"Ah don't worry about it, you looked like you…were in pain," she replied slowly. I got the feeling she wasn't only referring to my knee. I frowned, painful memories threatening to resurface. I shook my head, focusing on the present. After she finished bandaging me, she felt up my arms and sides to make sure I wasn't hurt anywhere else. Realizing I was fine, she got up and returned with an ice pack for the bruise forming on the side of my head. I applied it, nodding in thanks as she took a seat near me again.

"Oh no! I'm so rude, I never even asked for your name," she said as she face palmed. I could see the light tint of red coloring her cheeks.

"Don't worry, it wasn't important at the time. I am Kohinata An, pleased to meet you," I said as I bowed my head. She nodded, pondering the name to herself.

"Alright, An it is," she grinned. I was a bit surprised at the lack of honorifics, but I soon understood that this woman was full of surprises, and it was best to accept it. She continued, the scarlet fading from her cheeks.

"I'm Aikawa Eri," she said confidently.

"Then Eri it is," I smirked along with my playful tone. Eri looked taken aback, but soon enough she was laughing along with me.

**AN: Yay, chapter two! I hope everyone reading is enjoying this so far, please leave a review!**


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